A Framework for Evaluating Tablet-based Educational Applications for Primary School Levels in Thailand

Abstract

When it comes to the use of mobile technology in the classroom, one of the major challenges for the teacher is finding suitable applications that appropriately match the topic of study. In most areas of education there are tools for evaluating teaching materials, but there are few tools for evaluating mobile technology in the classroom. The lack of evaluation methods means that for teachers, who are increasingly using tablets in the primary level classrooms, the results can be “hit or miss”. The aim of the study is to propose and describe a new framework that enables primary school teachers to evaluate tablet-based games effectively. The proposed framework is adapted from the four-dimensional framework (FDF). Thereby, supporting teachers in the choice of suitable tablet-based games to use in their classrooms that balance the essential aspects of student engagement (or playability) and learning achievement. A small case study is carried out based on the evaluation of 30 iPads STEM applications. The proposed framework can predict the initial pitfalls of technical and design issues in applications before class use. The successfully evaluated applications are used for the experiment at primary school in Thailand. The improvement of students’ learning skill, behavioral outcomes, and teachers’ perspectives are not considered in this study.